Hankering to Graduate

Seniors Christian Gatlin, Aaron Ortiz, Calvin Yocum, Grayson Wright, and JD Walton, along with Junior Peter Steigerwald outside of Air Academy High School. Original photo.

High school is an exciting time for young people. It’s the first time that most kids experience the freedom they have always wanted. Free periods, dances, sports, and friends become the interests of every high schooler’s life. Young kids turn into young adults, and young adults turn into true adults. The four years spent inside the walls of a high school teach kids lots of important lessons, and it’s a time that helps to set people on their path in life.

There’s only one problem- the school work.

Although it is very important for high schoolers to focus on their academics and give themselves the best opportunities in the future, it’s something that almost every student comes to dread. After four years of this, it seems like seniors become so tired of the same routines that they develop a habit of laziness.

It can be hard for adults to see the reasoning behind Senioritis, but for those experiencing it, it can become a real problem.

“High school is a lot of fun most of the time, but doing my schoolwork has just become a chore I don’t want to do every day,” says Senior Aaron Ortiz. “Especially in the second semester, I just haven’t had the same motivation that I did in my last three years.”

It seems that not all the laziness can be contributed to the academics, as many students just become bored of the same exact routine that they undertake on a day-to-day basis. Waking up at 6 o’clock, showering, eating breakfast, going to school for a 7 hour day, participating in sports, and then doing 2+ hours of homework can be a tiresome schedule that every student comes to know. Seeing the freedom and excitement of college that older friends get to experience only adds to the feelings of boredom.

“I see all my college friends having the time of their lives, and it looks to me like a lot more fun than high school. You get to live on your own and be completely responsible for your own life,” said fellow Senior Samantha Valtin.

The appeal of college is a huge factor in the diagnosis of a student’s classic case of Senioritis.

Being a senior myself, I have come to know the side affects of Senioritis. Almost every day I come home from my sports practice and have the dread of homework looming over my head. My advice to seniors and up-in-coming seniors is that although these feelings will almost surely come to you, and possibly overwhelm you at many points, it is important to stay focused on your academics and not let the fatigue beat you. These four years of high school set you up for the rest of your life, and beating Senioritis will serve you very well.